


Rebirth

by bertholdtfruitbar



Category: J-Rock - Fandom, the GazettE
Genre: M/M, the GazettE - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-26
Updated: 2017-01-12
Packaged: 2018-08-11 02:53:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7873360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bertholdtfruitbar/pseuds/bertholdtfruitbar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A son of a fallen samurai and a prince meet by chance. The two go on a journey to stop the angered gods from finding the shards spread throughout the land.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It Begins

 

 

  
_It was only a story._

  
His mother had told him many times about the famous samurai, one that fought many monsters and crossed many lands. Every night there was something new to tell, something new to discover-but never an ending. When the night neared its end she would lose track, and her mind would be gone.  
He wouldn't hear about his father anymore.

  
As a child he would continue to ask her about him, but with every season that passed she could not recall a thing about him. Even his name had been forgotten, the only way she would speak his name if he had prodded her about him. To make himself remember the stories that she had told him, he would fold oragami-each one pertaining to a trait that he bore.

  
That way Aoi would never forget the stories that she told him, for he knew that he could bare the same disease that plagued his mother. He never wanted to forget. All he wanted was his family together, but his father has long since passed away in a battle in some fortress that his mother couldn't even remember the name of.  
Then one full moon, he lost her and he was alone.

  
\-----

  
There had been one thing left behind from his father, and that was his robe. On the back it donned the clan's symbol, which was once worn with pride by his brave predecessor-but now to have it only be worn by a commoner such as himself. When he passed away, his mother had taken him far away from the battle-though he never knew why she never returned or how she knew that he was gone.

  
After his mother passed away Aoi had taken everything they owned, at least the things he could pack on his back-and moved into the village nearby. He found modest work, dirty jobs that the others wouldn't do mainly just to survive.

  
The job he had taken on now wasn't exactly the best, he was selling vegetables on the side of the road for some farmer. Mainly Cabbages. The stories about his father seemed to fade from his mind, and dreams about being just like him vanished with his mother. What was there to protect? He had no reason to become a samurai anymore.

  
He wasn't even sure he would be allowed.

  
The villagers didn't know his clan, they never asked him what kind of samurai his father was or how he procurred such a nice robe. Though they never asked much about him, they seemed to welcome him with open arms when he stumbled into their small community. He fit right in with the other children, as he was ten when he arrived.

  
"A ten year old, with a mind of an adult." Someone had commented about him. Aoi had no desire to play with the other kids, he didn't have that luxury. He had to think about where he was going to sleep at night, or what he was going to eat the next day.

  
Reita had been his only family in the village, as the boy's parents let him live with them with no questions asked. They didn't ask him about his parents, perhaps they knew and respected his wish to not speak about it. The dark haired man sighed to himself, closing up shop for yet another night.

  
"Sold any cabbages yet?"

  
Aoi let out a sigh, "No, I suppose Cabbage stew is not on the menu this fine evening."

  
He glanced at his surrogate brother, whom for many years has been almost his shadow. Though he didn't mind Reita as company, the two got into their fair share of trouble and he helped him keep his head clear of negative thoughts that often lingered. "Well, it'll be pig food then, can't waste the cabbages or dad will be mad."

  
"Such good cabbages too..."

  
"I think you need to sleep...."

  
Reita only gave him a smirk as the two went to clean up shop, ready to call it a night. Pretty soon the streets would be full of people, mainly those out for drinks. Occasionally they would join the crowd, but Aoi had learned his alcohol tolerance was not high.

  
However, they were interrupted when they heard an explosion followed by a 'LOOK OUT' as someone crashed into their stand. Reita watched as their product sprawled out onto the street, with mild interest he cried out; "Oh no, my cabbages!"

  
"Can you stop?" Aoi scolded, helping the person that ran into the stand; "Something serious is going on, and you're cracking jokes?"

  
"It's how I deal with my crippling anxiety."

  
The dark haired man scowled, but didn't comment. Instead his attention turned into the much smaller male that had knocked the stand over. How can someone so small knock that heavy thing over? He noted he wore a robe, a very fancy one at that. What was he doing in a village like this?

  
"Are you going to let me go now?"

  
Aoi blinked, "I'm sorry, I thought you needed help....you ran into our cabbage stand after all. "

  
"Now we have nothing to eat tonight, we're going to starve thanks to you and your explosions, newcomer......" Reita's humor was not appreciated in this moment, but the blonde merely smiled at his brother.

  
"Don't talk to me like that," The petite blonde snapped back, "I can tear you to pieces if I wanted to."

  
"Oh no, I'm so afraid."

  
"Reita!"

  
"What are you running from anyways? Your responsibilities?"

  
Aoi sighed, "What he's trying to say...what's going on? What was that explosion?"

  
"Uruha, now let me go."

  
Had he still been holding on? He hadn't noticed, he could only do as he was told as he observed the newcomer. "My name is Aoi, and this is my surrogate brother Reita...."

  
The smaller male observed them for a moment, before looking behind him. He seemed panicked, as if trying to make sure that whoever was chasing him was no longer in the area. "My name is Ruki, I'm running from two people right now so I can't stay and chat."

  
He couldn't help but smile at the name, "Well, if you want-you can stay with us to hide out for a while....I mean, who would suspect a couple of cabbage farmers?"  
"I can't, he'll find me there and he'll kill you all."

  
"With a name like Uruha, he can't be that tough." Reita smirked, "I also know how to use a sword....sort of....kind of."

  
"....Well, I can take care of myself." Aoi assured, "If you keep running, you might as well be dead."

  
Ruki seemed to ponder this, after a moment he looked at the two and nodded his head. Aoi wasn't sure if he was doing this man any favors by hiding him, from the explosion it seemed like a futile attempt. But he couldn't just let him out there to die, perhaps if this Uruha saw that he wasn't in sight he would move on.

  
He had to think about his village as well.


	2. The Shards

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ruki reveals his true identity.

 

It wasn't until nighttime that they felt safe. Uruha had scoured the village it appeared, but when he didn't find his target he had simply moved on.

  
Aoi knew this was pure luck on their side, but he also knew that Uruha could be back any day now. What kind of person this guy was though, he wasn't sure. The way he treated the villagers and the lack of acknowledgement that he was harming anybody was an indicator that he was not one to be trifled with.

  
Now he had another mystery on his case, who was this Ruki and why was he running away? Why did Uruha want to kill him? From his robes he had guessed that this man was well off, from a rich family. What business would he have around this part of the country? A land full of modest people, trying to make a modest living via farming and other means to survive.

  
Ruki could come from the castle, where they had elegant meals and lavish parties. Aoi could only dream of what those were like. Perhaps his father had been a part of that life, and his mother once upon a time. But why would she take him away from that? There had to be something bigger to the 'story', or else she wouldn't have resorted to living in a cave.

  
"So, uh Ruki...." Reita's voice cut off his train of thought, but he didn't look their direction as he continued; "why are you running? Why did you piss this Uruha guy off?"

  
Aoi continued to stare out the window as Ruki explained himself. "I come from the castle," Ruki started, "I was born and raised there. Uruha is not a mere mortal however, he is a God."

  
He could hear Reita snort. He did not believe such things, of course not-they were just stories that their parents used to tell them before bed. They had no actual meaning in the real world, or did they? "What do you mean he's a god?" Aoi questioned, "What would you have that he could possibly want?"

  
"My shard..."

  
"Glass is hardly worth blowing up a half a village over." Reita muttered, "That doesn't seem like something a god would do that for."

  
Ruki glared at him, "Can you let me continue my story?"

  
"He's sorry," Aoi scolded Reita, "please continue."

  
"There are those in the Castle that were born with a shard on the back of their hand," the younger continued, removing his sleeve from his hand so they were visible; "each a different color and each holding power within. Unless the person who has them trains however, some may never have access to the powers that these wield."

  
They studied the shard, shaped like a diamond it was like he had a piece of jewelry inbedded in his skin. "And Uruha wants this shard?"

  
"His people, the Gods-don't believe we humans can handle such power that they handed down thousand of years ago," Ruki responded, "they believe we have corrupted the power and only use it to wage war."

  
"But humans have waged war without this....er....magic?"

  
"Yeah, we find ways of destroying ourselves without voodoo."

  
" **Reita.** "

  
"What?"

  
Ruki frowned, "Uruha has already killed half my people in a blind rage, this is not something we need to take lightly. Even if there are those in the Castle born with the shards, some are not very powerful." He paused for a moment, "And we are unsure if there are more of them outside, so even if he does get me-he'll always be searching for more to destroy."

  
"Why not just take away the shards and not kill?"

  
"Because the shards are apart of us, it would kill us anyways if he took them away."

  
"So he's killing innocent civilians as well?"

  
"No, but I won't doubt he will if things get ugly enough."

  
Reita and Aoi glanced at each other. They were unsure of how to take this story, but he supposed the visitor had no reason to lie to them. "So, what are we to do?" Reita questioned again, "Obviously we can't keep you here unless the crazy God people come after us, but we can't exactly take you home because it's obviously not safe either."

  
"What do you mean 'we'?" Ruki looked at him, "I am not dragging you two further into this, I have to find the Temple in the Sky, it's the place that will have the armour that will help me fight off these Gods."

  
"I thought there was only one God....and what do you mean 'Temple in the Sky'? That place is a myth."

  
"It's not a myth like you believe, and there are two Gods out there looking for me."

  
"Well that's just _peachy_."

  
Aoi coughed a little, "We can't let you leave on your own, I highly doubt that one could do this journey on their own."

  
"Well, who else am I supposed to take with me? Two cabbage farmers? As if."

  
"Well, these Cabbage Farmers just saved your ass."

  
Ruki stared at them for a moment, before looking at Aoi. That was when he stood up, studying the robe he donned for the first time since he arrived. "Where did you get this robe? I've seen that symbol before."

  
"It was my father's. At least, before he died."

  
"It's the mark of a samurai, are you one?"

  
There was a glimmer of hope in Ruki's eyes as he said this, "No, and even then....I suppose I wouldn't be a match for a God-now would I?"

  
"The Samurai as strong as they are, are no match anyhow...." Ruki sighed, "But it would have been nice."

  
"Where did you remember this symbol? Perhaps you knew my father."

  
"It's a faint memory, but I could remember the clan meeting with my father....the Emperor at one time...."

  
"Oh, so now you're a prince?"

  
Ruki glared at Reita behind him, but said nothing. He simply continued to play with Aoi's robe, seemingly pondering something. He then observed their home, which to their credit wasn't too shabby. His foster mother always kept nice things around, and his sword that he had brought when his mother died had sat nicely above the fireplace.

  
Reita did also have a bow, as he would practice archery whenever he happened to have free time. "You two can come with me then," The prince decided, "but don't think I'll be bailing you two out all the time you guys get into trouble."

  
"So nice to say to your saviours.....SO NICE."

  
Aoi glared at Reita, before looking back at Ruki with a small smile on his face, "I suppose I've done crazier stuff in my life, one adventure won't....kill me."

  
"WE'RE GOING ON A QUEST!"

  
"What did we just agree to...."  
\---  
"He wasn't in the village?"

  
The God before him shook his head, though there was no hint of remorse for almost blowing up an entire village in the process. His brother was such a destructive thing, which is why his father always advised him to keep an eye on him-but he thought it would be easier this way. He had been wrong.

  
"We can't destroy needlessly, if we can help it we need to keep civilians out of the fight."

  
"I don't see you finding any solutions, Kai."

  
The way Uruha spoke his name was like he was speaking to someone lower than him, but he didn't pay any heed to his bad attitude. They needed to find the Prince, and soon. Or else their father would take things into his own hands, and that was something they didn't want. The world wasn't ready for it.

  
He wasn't even ready for it.

  
"Get some rest, we leave at dawn." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm not sure where I'm going with the Shard thing, but we'll see....


	3. Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "I sniff a lie still, and that doesn't make me very happy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter came really quick, I have a habit of updating really fast or REALLY slow so....there's that.

 

  
The last time he had travelled was when his mother passed away. The village they lived in was quite a while away from where their abode had been, but Aoi was never one to complain about distances. He never thought the village would be his permanent home, but when Reita's parents offered him a home and a bed to sleep in he couldn't say no.

  
He pondered how Reita felt about it however, as he was leaving behind everything he has ever known. His parents weren't too keen on him leaving, but his father said he was an adult and he needed to make his own decisions. No matter how much they didn't like it.

  
They provided them with one horse, as it was all they could give them. This came in handy, as the horse was used to carry their supplies and different things, while Aoi hauled his weapon on his person. Ruki didn't really have much to begin with, but Reita's mother provided him with another robe like she did with both Reita and Aoi.

  
She really did wonders when it came to sewing.

  
They left two days after Ruki's arrival, and they set their sights on the Temple in the Sky. It had been a myth that such a place had existed, but it was somewhere in the north-settled in the clouds of the highest mountain. There they would find the golden armour, and along with it the sword that could strike down a God.

  
If they defeated the Gods, then they would most likely back off-though Aoi knew that if these type of people were really after Ruki they could stand no chance at winning. But his conscious could not let him allow the Prince to journey alone, as he had seen no weaponry on his person and he wasn't sure what kind of fighter he had been.

  
Shouldn't he be trained? What kind of Emperor left his son untrained and sent him off to his doom? Though Ruki never did mention what happened to his family much less his father after he left, he only mentioned that Uruha had killed half his clan. If that had been the case, the people would have known they were without an Emperor for a while now.

  
It was then that Aoi found himself observing the other. His robes were definitely more elegant than the one he wore, possibly made out of silk. The symbol on the back was that of a red dragon, something he knew that the Emperor used as a sympol of their pride in his warriors-his clan of samurai.

  
He remembered his mother saying that his own father had been called on missions by the Emperor, but he never got the full story. Her mind always strayed after a while, it was one thing that greatly disappointed him as a child.

  
Somedays he hoped that his father actually lived and he was out there somewhere.

  
He looked to the sky and noticed the full moon, when had it become nighttime? He glanced around at his comrades and pointed out a small opening where they could camp out for the night. It was there that Reita set the fire up, distributing small portions of the food to each member as they sat in silence.

  
His surrogate brother was definitely feeling homesick, often he would catch him glancing back towards the direction of the village and he wondered if he had made a mistake in taking him with them. Though Aoi loved that village, it had been his home since he was ten-he felt no bond to that place aside from Reita's family.

  
He had missed them dearly too, but he hadn't planned on staying that long. At the time he wanted provisions to travel, or reason to find out who his father was and if he was still alive. He wanted closure, so he knew that his mother wasn't just telling him bedtime stories.

  
"Are you alright?" He asked him finally, "You've been quiet this whole time, I haven't heard one sarcastic remark from you in hours."

  
He expected Ruki to be quiet, as the Prince was still feeling them out and they were doing the same to him. But Reita? Well, he always had something to say. "I'm just tired," His brother responded "I'll be back to your annoying sarcastic friend in the morning, I bet you 1,000 coins on that one."

  
Aoi smiled, "You're homesick, aren't you? We've been travelling for only a day."

  
"I miss my parents. That's all, I mean.....how are they going to survive without me?"

  
"We'll be home when this mission is done," Aoi assured, "and they've survived years before you were born-they're stronger than you think. Especially since they had to raise you."

  
"Oi."

  
"Don't worry about them, they're probably already doing that about you."

  
Reita smirked, "They don't want anything to happen to their baby boy."

  
"That's so gross."

  
Ruki seemed to be observing their conversation, Aoi could have sword he saw a smile on his face when Reita spoke of his mother. He wondered if the Prince missed his family, and how he would feel once he took care of the Gods once and for all. Revenge could only give you so much after all.

  
"What about you, Ruki-sama?"

  
The Prince blinked, "What was that?"

  
"Do you miss your family?"

  
"Of course I do," He murmured, "I miss them everyday-everytime I look at my shard I'm reminded of what I had and what was taken from me."

  
"Are they still alive?"

  
"My oldest brother is in hiding, along with his aide.....I was supposed to go with them, but I got lost in the storm and I could no longer find them."

  
Aoi frowned, "We'll find them when this all over."

  
"I hope, but I have a feeling that he perished along with the others....."

  
"Have faith in your family."

  
The younger smiled at him, the first genuine smile that the Prince had given him. "What about you? Do you miss yours?"

  
"My real family or my foster?"

  
"Both."

  
Reita looked to Aoi then, "You never really told me about your real family, aside from the fact that your dad was a possible Samurai. But never anything about any siblings or even your mother."

  
"My mom was so beautiful, she would tell me stories before I went to bed about my dad......she's the reason why I know about him." He was quiet for a moment, pondering if he wanted to relive this pain; "My first memory of her is making oragamis with her, she made one of my dad....or at least tried to."

  
"What happened to her?"

  
"She was sick, and she could no longer remember things about her life or herself towards the end of her life." He sighed, furrowing his brow as he tried to continue; "And on the last night we had together, she didn't even know my name......when the full moon shone above the sky she passed away and I was....alone."

  
"That's when you came to the village, right?" Reita inquired, "And my parents found you...."

  
"I took the robe she had given me and the sword, that's all I have left of her memory."

  
"A memory is the strongest source of power," Ruki commented, "keep those on you and you'll be safe."

  
Aoi could only nod. Thinking about his mother brought memories he never wanted to think about again, but he knew Ruki had been right. At the same time, he didn't want her legacy to go away-if it wasn't for her....well he wouldn't know where he would be now. Taking care of her for so long had prepared him in the long run, but it didn't change the fact that he wanted her with him.

  
"I....really miss her."

  
\--

  
The village was peaceful, one could only wonder if there really was a prince hiding amongst all these commoners. The two Gods had to find out, but Kai found no trace of the Prince nor any sign that he might have been here at all. As he chose to move on to the next area, his brother decided to stay behind.

  
Kai didn't trust the situation however, but arguing with Uruha was pointless. He was going to do what he wanted anyways, no matter what he tried to tell him.

  
Uruha had chosen to talk to the villagers, asking for any information they had on the Prince that he knew for certain ran into their village. He was certain he had chased him this far, but none of them would speak to him or they lied to him. And then he came upon an old couple, modestly trying to sell vegetables from their farm to make a living.

  
Again, no information came from them-but something seemed amiss from how they spoke to him. The wife was trembling slightly, and the husband was tense. They were lying to him, he could almost smell the Prince on their skin as he spoke to them. Uruha curled his lip and snarled at them, "You're lying to me, he was here."

  
"I can assure you that he was not, my Lord...." The Husband spoke firmly, though there was a trace of fear in his voice; "We are just two farmers, trying to sell their crop as means to survive-why would a prince ask for us for help?"

  
"I sniff a lie still, and that doesn't make me very happy."

  
Meanwhile on the outskirts of town, Kai tried to find any traces of movement. It could be possible the Prince had already left, he saw a horse trail accompanied by human footprints going towards the North. Perhaps he had recruited some people on his journey, that would be the smart thing for him to do though it wouldn't do him any good.

  
As Kai as about to turn and tell his brother of this revelation, the sky was illuminated with fire and explosions.

  
That meant Uruha had gotten angry with the villagers, and threw a temper tantrum in the process. The God sighed to himself, he shouldn't have left him alone! He knew no mortal would survive this, and they would have to answer to their mother for such recklessness. Their goal was to capture and kill the prince, not needlessly murder the mortals.

  
Things were about to get ugly.


	4. Lament

 

 

  
The sun was setting when they finally stopped.

  
It had been almost a month since they set off from the village, and it seemed they may never get to their destination. Food supplies were running short, however that hadn't been a problem as Reita and Aoi had been adept in hunting. A small rabbit here and there, and if they felt they could use it-they got into their extra supplies to at least get them through the night.

  
While Reita opted to prep the meat for the meal, Aoi had gone off to a spring nearby to wash off. Ruki had watched the fire crackle for a moment before he decided to wander off to explore the area. It wasnt that he didn't like Aoi's surrogate brother, he just didn't feel like making small talk when there really wasn't anything to talk about.

  
It appeared that he got along quite well with Aoi, but perhaps it stemmed from that the son of the late Samurai was eager for more knowledge about the Castle. An environment in which his late father had once been a part of. How could he know so little of his father? His mother could have possibly told him more, but then again he had mentioned she had been losing her mind.

  
Perhaps his father wasn't a samurai, and she had made it up. But the sword Aoi held told no lies. In that case, he should have been brought to the castle-where he would have been properly trained and with his own people. Yet he was happy where he had been, he had seemed to love his surrogate family.

  
When Aoi spoke of his mother, his eyes glimmered and he talked of how wonderful she was. He would tell them the stories she told him, but they never had an ending. At least that's what he had told them. She would forget before the end of the night, and the process would start all over again until she finally passed away.  
'She said she was protecting me from something,' Aoi told him, 'but I can't fathom what it was.'

  
'Because she loved you and wanted you to live.' Ruki thought to himself as he turned towards the spring, forgetting that Aoi had been there. He neededto wash himself off, he was used to lavish baths-but this would do for now. Before he could get to undress however, he spotted his companion from behind.

  
He had paused in his movement, slightly embarrassed at having forgotten that he too was taking a bath. But he couldn't move from his spot, he could only stare. Aoi hadn't noticed him gawking at him, studying his back muscles as he washed his hair. He had some scars, one on his left shoulder and another on his lower back.  
Ruki caught himself looking lower, that was until Aoi had turned around to look at him.

  
"Can I help you, Prince?"

  
"Erm....no..."

  
Aoi seemed to smirk at him, even as the Prince's face turned a deep shade of red. This didn't deter him from washing however, he simply turned his back to continue what he was doing whether he was watching or not. Ruki watched for a moment before he realized what he was doing, that was when he scooted back and headed back to camp.

  
He would wash later.

  
\----

  
If Aoi was going to say anything about the incident before, he hadn't. After he had arrived back from washing, his hair still wet from the water-Reita had decided it was his turn to do the same. It left the two of them alone, but as Ruki fidgeted in his seat-Aoi didn't utter a word. Maybe he simply didn't want to embarrass the younger, and maybe he respected him better than that.

  
For that, Ruki was grateful.

  
The next morning had been when he had gotten his bath, and his hair was a bit damn when they began travelling again. They had to make good time if they wanted to make it to the Temple in the Sky, it wouldn't be good if the Gods had caught up to them by then. He had to have the armor, it was the only thing that could protect them.

  
He hated to drag Aoi and Reita into the fight, but the two had readily volunteered to occumpany him. He listened as the two chattered away about their home village, he could almost sense the longing in Reita's voice as they spoke. For some odd reason, it made him sad to think about it.

  
"When are we going to get to this Temple anyways?" Reita whined, "I'm so tired, my feet hurt....."

  
"We're about three days out," Ruki explained, "if we make good time though, we should make it in a day and a half."

  
"So, three days it is."

  
"Why are you whining? You act like you've never walked great distances before"

  
"Nope, never. Carry me prince, for I am _weak_ and _fragile_."

  
"Shut up, Reita."

  
Aoi snickered at the bickering, "The farthest he's been away from home is the spring, other than that he's never been too far away."

  
"That explains it."

  
"Explains what? How I'm being weighed down by this crippling anxiety inside me?" Reita muttered, "So sorry for being so broken."

  
"I'm about to break your nose if you don't shut your mouth..."

  
"I'm being abused, who can I call to arrest a Prince?"

  
"Can we go one day without your sarcastic remarks?!"

  
Aoi laughed at the both of them again, but his laughter was cut short when he noticed something blocking their path. If Ruki had been correct, the forest should've cleared by now and they would only have open plains until they reached the mountain. But if they were three days out, shouldn't they be out of the forest by now?  
What perplexed him however was that he felt that they had been in this area before, it was as if they were walking in circles.

  
"Why did we stop? Did you find Ruki's kindness?"

  
"Shut up!"

  
Aoi frowned, "No, we passed this tree before......I think."

  
"Oh god, Aoi's gone insane....we're doomed."

  
"Now's not the time," Aoi scolded his friend, "this is a marking I made the third time we passed it....."

  
Ruki studied the mark, and then their surroundings. It had been what he feared, he just was hoping they had more time. "This isn't good......"

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"They've got a spell on the forest."

  
Reita blinked, "A spell?"

  
"We're trapped," Ruki continued, "they found us."

  
Just then he heard the sound of a chain moving, and he knew. He supposed he was the better out of the two gods, not so eager to destroy-Kai's power lied with intimidation and manipulation. He could con you into giving them your life for the 'greater good', but Ruki was smarter than that.

  
He knew if Kai had to, he would resort to more brutal tactics. They weren't ready for Kai though, they weren't ready to fight any Gods.

  
"You're a clever one, Samurai.....it's such a shame you'll have to die with the Prince for such treason."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *whispers* I'm so sorry


	5. Illusions

He didn't believe in Gods.

Why would he believe in such beings that allowed his mother to suffer the way she had? If they existed, why hadn't they helped her? And no matter how many times he tried to wrap his mind around the fact that he was now facing one, he couldn't. Weren't they supposed to be merciful creatures who helped the needy?

All he could see was a devil, someone who was out to kill. Though this one had been more calm than the one they've seen before, the way he looked at them unsettled him. The calm ones where the one you had to be careful of, at least that's what his mother used to say. You could never figure out what they were thinking, and one false moved meant certain death.

Ruki shifted his weight, eyeing the man next to him as he waited to see what he would do. Aoi's hands were on his sword, but he didn't draw. Kai's whips were intimidating, and he certainly had the upper hand-but he was curious as to how Aoi would hold up against a God. Of course the Prince shuddered at the thought, of course he didn't have a chance.

None of them did.

He got them into this mess, he could get them out. Giving himself up would be the easy way out, and perhaps Kai would show them mercy and let them on their way.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way," Kai spoke up, "I didn't want to involve any more innocent people than I had to, but it's too late to turn back now." 

"Is this the part where you drabble on about your plans? Because I would prefer if you just got whatever it was you wanted to do over with. I'm bored." Reita quipped.

"Reita, your sarcasm is not appreciated!" Aoi snapped.

"My wit is not appreciated, strike me down now because my purpose is lost." 

Ruki ignored the bickering brothers for a moment, taking a step forward towards the God. "They don't belong in this fight, and you know they don't have a chance against you-why not just take me and leave them be?" 

"Oh Ruki, you're such a martyr. Where was this attitude when your mother was dying?" 

The prince flinched, "If it's my shard you want, then you can take it." 

"I'm afraid I can't cut a deal today, because these two are already heavily involved....and it isn't like they have a home to go back to." 

Reita's head perked up, "What do you mean by that? What did you do?!" 

"It wasn't what I did, but Uruha has a temper and the villagers didn't please him with the answers he wanted." 

It was like someone gutted him, and Reita's thoughts instantly turned to his parents. The two who no matter what he did, forgave him and loved him despite all his faults. The ones who took a starving boy on the street in, a small orphan they didn't even know from where he came. No questions asked.

Reita had learned that kindness from them, if something were to happen....

"My parents, what happened to them?!" Aoi shouted suddenly, breaking Reita out of his train of thought. 'His parents....' 

Of course. Aoi was his adoptive brother.

He was that scrawny little boy their parents took in. 

"Most likely dead," Kai answered, Ruki almost sensed a hint of guilt in the God's voice; "when Uruha throws his tantrums-no one survives the fire." 

Aoi went for his sword, but was stopped by the motion of Reita charging the God. The samurai didn't even have a chance to call out his name before Kai had sent him backwards, unaffected by his brother's anguish. "Reita!" 

He could see a cut across his face, but couldn't make out anything more. He hadn't even seen the God move, and Aoi couldn't help but think that maybe coming had been a bad idea on their part. At least allowing Reita to come with them, but if he had left Reita behind.....

"There's no point in fighting," The God voiced, "I'd rather just get this over with." 

"I'll kill you." 

Kai raised a brow at the man he just sent flying, unsure if he was amused or just annoyed at the mortal's persistance. Of course he could understand the anger, his parents had died needlessly after all-but that wasn't his fault. He couldn't control Uruha's anger, "I'd love to see you try, seeing as your last attempt was so successful."

"Stay back, Rei." Aoi pleaded with his brother, "Just stay down." 

"I don't know what you're doing, Aoi-but they killed my parents." 

"They're my family too, but we can't rush into battle-" 

"Oh yeah? Just fucking try me!"

"Don't get yourself killed!"

Meanwhile the Prince had been trying to find a way out of this illusion, his mother had always told him there was always a loophole. If he could find that hole, he could get them out. However, it wasn't helping that the brothers were willingly throwing themselves at the God-knowing very well they had no chance.

With what little magic he could muster, he found the exit. Kai hadn't been very careful in his illusion, but perhaps this was on purpose? The God didn't seem interested in interrupting the fued, nor was he interested in pursuing him either. Was this just a game then? Kai had nothing to stop him from getting the shard, yet he was just standing there-waiting.

But Ruki couldn't chance it, he couldn't trust Kai not to kill them all. So he simply grabbed the scruff of Reita's shirt and hauled him up, preventing him from charging Kai. Aoi looked at him questioningly, then he glanced back at Kai. "I don't know why you don't just kill us now, dont' treat this like a game." 

"Ruki." 

"Isn't that what you came here for?" 

"Well, yes of course," Kai mused, "but it was fun to watch the two mortals bicker on who was going to die first." 

Aoi felt a tug at his sleeve, but his hands never left his sword and his eyes never left the God. The whips he carried seemed intimidating enough, especially with what they could do. It seemed like a hopeless situation, but why wasn't Kai making a move? Again, he felt a tug at his sleeve and he glanced down to see Ruki.

He backed away to where the Prince was leading him, his gaze never leaving Kai's. He could see the God's fists around his whip, and he was certain that he would strike-but he remained still. What was he getting at? 

And then they were out of his gaze, out of the illusion. 

"And what does this do?" Aoi asked Ruki, following the Prince as they darted in the opposite direction; "He could easily get out of that illusion and chase us." 

"He's playing with us," Ruki answered him, still pulling Reita along with him; "we can't chance him being serious though and actually killing us." 

"So we run?" 

"What other option do we have?"

Reita ripped out of his grasp, "We fucking kill him." 

"And that played out so well for you, didn't it?" Ruki snapped, "You almost got yourself killed, you need to keep your cool." 

"What the fuck-? How do you expect me to keep my cool?! THEY KILLED MY FAMILY-" 

"THEY KILLED MINE TOO." 

Aoi sighed, "Let's just find somewhere to hide for the night, who knows if the other brother is going to show up out of nowhere." 

Ruki breathed out, but nodded to the elder's suggestion. There was no use in arguing, if they were going to defeat the God's they needed the armor and sword. They had no chance as they were, and he hoped Reita realized this soon enough.

"You will get your revenge, in due time." 

Reita seemed to calm down at that, silently following them the rest of the way. They were glancing behind them constantly, unsure if Kai had let them go on purpose or if he was simply playing with them and chasing them in the dark. 

"I want to go home." Reita spoke up suddenly.

"Where is home?"  
\---  
Kai had watched them leave, uninterested in the chase. He could have killed them and taken the shard, but it was something about Aoi that caught him off guard. Like he had seen him before, but he was a mortal so he couldn't be who he thought. 

He was dead.  
\---  
It was unnatural for him to be so quiet, but Aoi had understood. Though he hadn't been raised by them his entire life, Reita's parents treated him like he was one of their own and without any question as to where he came from. They were the reason that Reita, though as sarcastic as he was at times-was as kindhearted and giving as he was.

If asked, Reita would give you the the shirt off his back and never ask for any favors in return. It was a trait that Aoi had admired him, and he was proud to call him his brother. But the man he was staring at now was an angry man, stricken by grief and he didn't know how to handle such a loss. He hadn't even been able to say goodbye.  
It was like Reita's soul died with them.

The Prince also seemed to understand this, and he didn't ask anything of Reita the next few days while they were travelling. The two just made sure he was well fed, and rested-and Aoi had been there when Reita needed a little extra push. Aoi worried about his mental state, but he was sure that Reita was tough enough to push through.

He had to be.

And while Aoi had dealt with loss many times in his life, this one had struck him as hard as his own mother. But he couldn't be weak either, so he remained strong for the sake of his companions and he started training even more. Even without the armor and sword, he had to be strong enough to ward off the Gods.

"You don't have to carry the burden, you know?" 

Aoi glanced back at the person addressing him, seathing his sword as he turned towards the Prince. "And what else am I to do? Reita is in no mental state to fight, and there is no reason for them not to attack us again." 

"But if you fight alone, you'll die." 

"And that's a better option than what else could happen." He glanced at Reita then, "I need to remain this way for him, if I fall into despair we'll all die." 

"And what then? You fight them off, only to have them come back even stronger?" 

"Then I'll become even stronger than them, I should have trained long ago......he even called me a Samurai." 

Ruki murmured, playing with the robes that Aoi donned for a moment. "You're grieving, and your mind isn't clear. You'll die this way." 

"And I'd rather die, than have it be him." 

"You're only prolonging the inevitable then, Reita will perish without you." 

"He's strong." 

"He just lost his parents, he doesn't need to lose a brother." 

Aoi smiled at the Prince's words, "Let's just worry about getting to that Temple of yours." 

"And don't you worry about him, he'll pull through. He's got a wit on him, and they don't go down very easy." 

"That's the nicest thing I've heard you say about Reita." 

"It's the only nice thing you'll hear from me about Reita." 

He coughed a little, "I....uh gotta take a bath, try not to peep on me this time." 

"That was an accident." 

"Sure, it was." 

Ruki blushed, "Shut up, go take your bath. You stink of sweat." He followed Aoi's gaze, "Go on, I'll watch and make sure he doesn't try to run off." 

"I trust you on that." 

\--  
That night he dreamt about his mother. Her voice played in his head like a melody, and he longed to curl up with her just one last time. The way she would lose herself in a story, talking about his father. The way her eyes shone whenever his name popped up, like she was talking about some sort of God.

He could almost feel her love bursting from her chest, and then she would lose herself. Aoi had known death had probably been the best, he wasn't sure how long she would have lasted in this world. 

He simply liked to pretend that she was still with him somehow.

Aoi's mind wandered to Reita, and pondered his brother's future. Reita had never been one to show his emotions, and when he was upset he tried to numb the pain out. He could only hope he would pull through, but he wasn't sure.

"Aoi." 

He looked up to see Ruki, holding firewood in his arms. When had he left? "Hope you didn't wander too far out.....we can do without a fire for one night." 

"It's not the fire or myself that I'm worried about." 

"Hm?" 

"Where's Reita?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry

**Author's Note:**

> lmao I got lazy the last half of the chapter. I'm so sorry.


End file.
